A review by alicebeastcat
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

4.0

A well-documented and very readable account of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma, and how their lies about the "non-addictiveness" of Oxycontin and aggressive marketing of the drug allowed them to pocket billions while also playing a major role in creating the opioid epidemic. Their story also demonstrates how great wealth, power and connections allow one to buy more favorable treatment from regulatory agencies, the justice system and congress. A non-fiction book that reads like a novel.